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Abhoga –Commentary On Kalpataru Of Amalananda

Abhoga is a 16th century CE commentary (tika) on the 13th century CE Kalpataru of Amalananda by Lakshmi Narasimha.

Brahmasutra of Badarayana has been commented on by many. Among them, Adi Shankara (7th century CE) wrote a major commentary, Brahmasutra Bhashya, known in the tradition as Bhashya. His disciple Padmapada (7th-8th century CE) composed a commentary Panchapadika on the first four sutras. Prakastman wrote a commentary on the latter known as Panchapadika Vivarana (13th century CE). Vacaspati Mishra also wrote a commentary, Bhamati, on Brahma Sutra Bhashya in the 13th century CE. Many commentaries were composed later on the Bhashya, following either Panchapadika and Vivarana or Bhamati. There are about six commentaries on Bhamati, the best known of them being Kalpataru by Amalananda. There are two 16th century commentaries on Kalpataru, Parimala by Appayya Dikshita and Abhoga, an exhaustive commentary by Lakshmi Narasimha.

Lakshmi Narasimha was the son of Konda Bhatta. He seems to have lived in the Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh. He states that, after having studied Parimala, he wanted to write a lucid commentary upon Kalpataru because Parimala was full of Mimamsa technicalities and was very terse in style. In the process of writing this lucid commentary called Abhoga, Lakshmi Narasimha, criticizes Parimala wherever possible and reinstates those views of Bhamati and Kalpataru which were refuted by Dikshita in his Parimala. Although the author is very hasty in his criticism, he is a very learned scholar and his commentary is very useful in understanding the purport of Bhamati and Kalpataru.

A commentary, Abhoga has been published in the Madras Government Oriental Series No. CXVII. 1955 CE.